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Spiritual Maturity: an Exploratory Study and Model for Social Work Practice © Currents: New Scholarship in the Human Services, 2008 ________________________________________________________ Spiritual Maturity: An Exploratory Study and Model for Social Work Practice David Derezotes, Au-Deane Cowley, John Thompson, Erica Shields, and Andrea Morgan Abstract Spiritual maturity is a fundamental dimension of human development that can help inform macro and micro level social work practice. On the macro level we need spiritually mature leaders who can help form coalitions of spiritually maturing people across the boundaries of nation, religion, class, gender, culture, and race. At the micro scale, there is a need for spiritually mature parents, leaders, and professional healers who have the courage, wisdom, and skills required to help navigate families and local communities through the stormy seas of accelerating ecobiopsychosocial-spiritual change. It is our premise that this task of describing spiritual maturity can and must be accomplished. In this paper, we report the findings of a study we have conducted, which explored how 200 adults view spiritual maturity. Implications of these findings for local and global social work practice are then advanced. Introduction What is spiritual maturity? At the beginning of the 21st Century, this question is not just a fascinating academic topic, but arguably one the most important issues facing humanity today. We view the process of spiritual maturity as a fundamental dimension of human development that can help inform macro and micro level social work practice. On the largest scale, the survival of humanity is now at risk. In a world armed with weapons of mass destruction, filled with ailing ecosystems, and populated with vast numbers of depressed, hungry, and thirsty people, the need for higher consciousness has never been more apparent. The case could be made that, more than ever, we need spiritually mature leaders who can help form coalitions of spiritually maturing people across the boundaries of nation, religion, class, gender, culture, and race. For example, the possibility that spiritual maturity may lead to religious toleration offers hope in an age of mass casualty terrorism and war that is often religion-inspired (Spinner-Halev, 2005). In addition, the likelihood that spiritual maturity may also be associated Derezotes et al. 2 with attitudes of connection, commitment, and optimism may encourage professional helpers and leaders who are concerned that our youth are significantly more disconnected and pessimistic in their attitudes and values than the last three previous generations (Smith, 2005). Ironically, rather than serving as a positive and unifying force, some politically powerful religious institutions have too often fueled unnecessary wars and other global conflicts (Spinner-Halev, 2005). In the name of religion some extremists, dedicated to terrorist acts, have succeeded in disrupting dreams for peace on earth. How is it that religion can be viewed as both the culprit in human affairs and the anticipated cure for all its maladies? Could it be that an explanation for this conundrum can only be found by delineating more clearly between spiritual maturity and immaturity in our religious practice and leadership? On a smaller, more micro scale, there is a need for spiritually mature parents, leaders, and professional healers who have the courage, wisdom, and skills required to help navigate families and local communities through the stormy seas of accelerating ecobiopsychosocial-spiritual change. For example, since men are most often the perpetrators of interpersonal violence, the growing interest in spirituality in the U.S. men’s movement may help foster a new model of male maturity that is less violent and more cooperative (Castellini, et al, 2005). Today’s social workers may see the need for spiritual maturity in many everyday practice settings. For example, the effectiveness of parenting and teaching may be associated with the spiritual maturity of parents and teachers. Leaders who are developmentally capable of going beyond ego may be especially prepared to make wise decisions in institutions and communities. The possibility that spiritual maturity could lead the way to religious tolerance and global deep peace offers some measure of hope in an age where too many of our dreams for the good life have literally been blown away. It is our premise that this task of describing spiritual maturity can and must be accomplished. In this paper, we report the findings of a study we have conducted, which explored how about 200 adults view spiritual maturity. Implications of these findings for local and global social work practice are then forwarded. Literature Review Multiple meanings Although the literature provides many perspectives on spiritual maturity, these perspectives are not necessarily exclusive. Indeed, spiritual maturity is a construct that can be assessed from at least the following four perspectives. © Currents: New Scholarship in the Human Services Volume 7, Number 1, 2008 Derezotes et al. 3 Developmental perspective: From this perspective, spiritual maturity involves a synthesis of all the interrelated dimensions of human development, including the physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual. This a synthesis requires not only the evolutionary growth within each of these five developmental lines, but also the integration of all the aspects of the self-system into a purposive whole (Wilber, Engler, & Brown, 1986; Washburn, 1988). Perspectives of process and state of being: Spiritual maturity might also be understood as a process and state of being. It is a process in as much as maturation in any dimension of development is a life-long, evolving project. From birth through death, the individual moves from more simple understandings to the more complex person-in- environment context that is constantly changing. It is also a state of being in as much as there are striking commonalties in the “deep features” of the world’s great wisdom traditions (including spiritual wisdom about purpose and values) despite the differences often observed across the more “surface features” of the various religious communities (Wilber, 1999, 2000). Individual and collective perspectives: Spiritual maturity can also be given individual, community, and even universal meanings. Each person may have her own unique definition of spiritual maturity that reflects to a varying degree her own individual, family, and community values. Many of the members of a particular family, culture, religion, or community may define spiritual maturity in terms of the rituals, doctrines, and beliefs shared by that particular group. Religious and trans-religious perspectives: Finally, spiritual maturity can be viewed from both religious and what we are calling trans- religious perspectives. When the religious perspective is taken, the author associates spiritual maturity with an adherence to the specific doctrines, rituals, and beliefs of her own religion (Carson, 2007). In contrast, from a Trans religious perspective, wisdom is drawn from many traditions, and open-mindedness and critical thinking is applied towards both one’s own religion and the religions of others (Allport, 1950). A study of the literature shows that in the USA, for over a century, many religiously-oriented authors have used the two terms “spiritual maturity” and “religious maturity” synonymously (James, 1999). In addition, some authors have made distinctions not only between spirituality and religion, but also between “inauthentic” and “authentic” paths to spiritual maturity (e.g., Anthony, Ecker, & Wilber, 1987). © Currents: New Scholarship in the Human Services Volume 7, Number 1, 2008 Derezotes et al. 4 Current religious and trans-religious perspectives Currently there appears to be significant public and professional interest in the subject of spiritual maturity, and this interest is related by large numbers of people to the subject of religious maturity. There are now over 2,250,000 internet sites listed by Google on the topic of religious maturity, and approximately 1,830,000 (about 19% fewer) sites listed on the topic of spiritual maturity. Most of these spiritual maturity listings (over 2/3 of the first 100) appear to have significant religious context. Over 60% of social workers now use spiritual interventions in their practices (Sheridan, 2004), and spiritual /interventions have been shown to be effective in increasing numbers of communities settings, including assisted living (Vela, 2005) as well as in the prevention and intervention with HIV/AIDS (Murray, 2005). Although the United States has one of the highest percentages of religious people, and although the majority of them are Christian, the country is also the most religiously diverse in the world (Eck, 2001). Not surprisingly, the literature related to spiritual development in the United States is also diverse. We divided this literature into two categories introduced above: religious and trans-religious models of spiritual development. In order to further illustrate these two categories and some of the diversity of thought in the USA, several representative examples of religious and trans-religious models will be briefly described below. The two Christian models presented (Table 1) contain both similar and diverse characteristics. They are similar since they both reflect the general tendency in the United States to emphasize the importance of the individual’s direct experience of God (Bloom, 1992), and different as they pose contrasting
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